The ancient Greeks worshiped many gods, their religion as a reflection of the character: sensual, unbridled as nature itself with its elements. Dionysus - one of the favorite gods of the Hellenes direct proof that the pleasure in their life occupied an exclusive and paramount place.
Who is Dionysus?
Dionysus, the god of winemaking, broke into the measured life of the Greeks with his characteristic merriment, frenzy and insanity. The youngest Olympian is of Thracian origin. Known and under other names:
- Bacchus;
- Bacchus;
- Senior Dionysus;
- Heat;
- Lieber;
- Dithyramb;
- Orthos;
- Horay.
Dionysus had the following functions and powers:
- was responsible for the revival of vegetation in the spring;
- patronized the farmers;
- taught people the craft of growing grapes and winemaking;
- sent madness to those who did not want to join him;
- is considered the "father" of the theatrical genre of the tragedy.
The parents of the god of wine and grapevine are Zeus and Semel. The myth of the birth of Dionysus is enveloped in passions. The jealous wife of the thunderer Hera, having learned that Semele was pregnant, having assumed the appearance of her wet nurse, persuaded Zeus to appear in a divine guise. Semel at a meeting with God asked if he was ready to fulfill one of her wishes, and he swore to fulfill any of her whims. Hearing the request, Zeus snatched another unripe fruit from the belly of his beloved and sewed it in his thigh, and when the time came Zeus gave birth to the son of Dionysus.
The cult of Dionysus in ancient Greece was called Dionysius. The festivals of vintage were called by small Dionysians, accompanied by vivid performances with dressing, singing, drinking wine. The main Dionysians were held in March - in honor of the reborn god. Early versions of the festival of Bacchanalia were held under the cover of darkness and represented wild dances of maenad in trance state, ritual intercourse. The death of Dionysus the god in the form of a bull was played and the sacrificial animal was torn to pieces, ate warm meat.
Dionysus Attribute
In ancient works of art, Dionysus was portrayed as a young, beardless young man with feminine features. The most important attribute of the god is the staff of Dionysus or the thyrs of the stem of fennel, crowned with pine cones - a phallic symbol of the creative principle. Other attributes and symbols Bacchus:
- Vine. The rounded rod is a sign of fertility and the craft of winemaking;
- Ivy - according to the beliefs against strong intoxication.
- The cup - drinking it, the soul forgot about its divine origin, and to heal it was necessary to drink another - the cup of reason, then the memory of the divinity and the desire to return to heaven comes back.
The satellites of Dionysus are no less symbolic:
- Melpomene is the muse of tragedy;
- Maenads are faithful followers or priestesses of the cult of Dionysus;
- panther, tiger and lynx - the animals of the cat family signify his ascent and triumph and remind that the cult came from the East;
- bull is a symbol of fertility and farming. Dionysus was often depicted in the form of a bull.
Dionysus - Mythology
Hellenes worshiped nature in all its manifestations. Fertility is an important part of the life of rural people. A rich harvest is always a good sign that the gods are supportive and benevolent. Greek god Dionysus in myths appears cheerful, but at the same time wayward and sending curses and death to those who do not recognize him. Myths about Bacchus are filled with various feelings: joy, sadness, anger and insanity.
Dionysus and Apollo
The conflict between Apollo and Dionysus is interpreted differently by philosophers and historians in their own way. Apollo - the radiant and golden-haired god of sunlight patronized the arts, morality and religion. Encouraged people to observe the measure in everything. And the Greeks tried to follow the laws before the cult of Dionysus. But Dionysus "burst" into the souls and lit up all the unsightly, those bottomless abysses that exist in every man and the measured Hellenes began to indulge in revelry, drunkenness and orgies, honoring the great Bacchus.
Two opposite forces, the "bright" Apollonian and the "dark" Dionysic, came together in a duel. Reason ran into feelings, as historians describe the struggle of two cults. Light, measure, cheerfulness and science against the cult of the earth, which contains the darkness of the mysteries with the immense use of wine, the sacrifice of sacrifices, violent dances and orgies. But as there is no light without darkness, so in this conflict something new and unusual was born - a new genre of art appeared Greek tragedies about temptations and the abyss of the human soul.
Dionysus and Persephone
Dionysus the god of Ancient Greece and Persephone - the goddess of fertility, the wife of Hades and together with him the sovereign of the underworld in ancient Greek mythology are connected among themselves in several tales:
- One of the myths about the birth of Dionysus mentions Persephone as the mother of his mother. Zeus burned with a passion for his own daughter, turning into a snake, enters into a relationship with her, from which Dionysus is born. In another version, Dionysus descends into the underworld and gives the myrtle tree to Persephone, so that her mother will release Semele. Dionysus gives the mother a new name for Tion and ascends with her to heaven.
- Persephone was walking along the meadow of the island of Perg in Sicily and was kidnapped by Hades (Hades), in some sources Zagreem (one of the names of Dionysus) in the realm of the dead. Disinterested mother Demeter for a long time looking for a young daughter around the world, the earth became barren and gray. When she finally found out where her daughter was, Demeter demanded that Zeus return her. Hades let his wife go, but before that she gave her seven grains of pomegranate, which sprang from the blood of Dionysus. In the realm of the dead one can not eat anything, but Persephone, at the joys that she is to return, ate the grains. From this time, Persephone spends spring, summer and autumn at the top, and the winter months in the underworld.
Dionysus and Aphrodite
The myth of Dionysus and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite is known for the fact that from their fleeting connection an ugly child was born. The son of Dionysus and Aphrodite was unusual and so ugly that the beautiful goddess abandoned the baby. The huge phallus of Priapus was constantly in a state of erection. Growing up, Priap tried to seduce his father Dionysus. In ancient Greece, the son of the god of winemaking and Aphrodite was revered in some provinces as a fertility god.
Dionysus and Ariadne
The wife and companion of Dionysus Ariadne was first abandoned by her beloved Theseus on about. Naxos. Ariadne cried for a long time, then fell asleep. All this time, Dionysus, who came to the island, watched her. Eros released his arrow of love and Ariadne's heart burned with a new love. During the mystical wedding, Ariadne's head was crowned with a crown given to her by Aphrodite herself and the mountains of the island. At the end of the ceremony, Dionysus raised the crown to heaven in the form of a constellation. Zeus as a gift to his son gave Ariadne immortality, which elevated her to the rank of goddesses.
Dionysus and Artemis
In another myth about the love of Dionysus and Ariadne, God Dionysus asks Artemis, the eternally young and chaste goddess of hunting to kill Ariadne, who liked him, because she married with Theseus in the sacred grove, only so Ariadne could become his wife, through the initiation of death. Artemis shoots an arrow at Ariadne, which then resurrects and becomes the wife of the god of fun and fertility of Dionysus.
Cult of Dionysus and Christianity
With the penetration of Christianity into Greece, the cult of Dionysus did not survive for a long time, the festivities dedicated to God continued to be honored by the people, and the Greek church was forced to fight by its methods, St. George came to replace Dionysus. Old sanctuaries dedicated to Bacchus were destroyed, and in their place were built Christian churches. But even now, during the harvesting of grapes, in holidays you can see the praise of Bacchus.